Black and White
by rexlover180
Summary: Just a chance meeting, just a passing by in the hall late at night. It's so strange how something so simple can turn into so much more. Neither Gilbert or Matthew had played piano before that night, but this chance encounter was obviously meant to happen. PruCan.


Gilbert was pissed. How hard could it be to play a fucking instrument, anyway? And yet he found himself about ready to see just how much strength it took to break the trumpet in his hands. But he still calmly gave the damn instrument back to one of those stupid experienced band kids that just looked at him like he was the vermin of the Earth. Gilbert rolled his eyes at him and moved away, looking around the room to find the next instrument to try.

He wasn't even here because he wanted to be, for crying out loud. Here he was, a Junior in high school, surrounded on all sides by Freshmen who wanted to have an extracurricular so that they would look good for colleges. Because that's what their parents told them. Gilbert? He had shit grades last year and he had too many detentions. His parents decided he could either join an extracurricular to "improve his attitude" or be grounded pretty much all year. Band seemed like an easy thing. Free pass to games and all that.

The sucky part, however, was the fact that he couldn't play any of these instruments worth shit. He wanted something easy, not something he'd have to force himself to learn. But he was having no such luck. His phone buzzed in his pocket as he glanced around and he decided to just lean against the wall for now.

_How's it going, band nerd?_

It was his friend, Antonio. Both of his best friends, Antonio and Francis, knew he was doing this and never ceased to give him shit for it. Maybe if Gilbert got to be actually good at an instrument, he could show them a thing or two. Sadly, for now, he was just some loser trying to find an instrument.

_My awesomeness is just too much for all of these losers._

It was just a few moments before Antonio texted him back.

_So you still suck?_

Gilbert growled under his breath, storing his phone and glancing around the room. Some of these Freshmen were actually extremely excited, all of them standing in line to try a flute or a clarinet, both instruments failing to make a sound when Gilbert tried them earlier. Gilbert walked right past the oboe, not even bothering to try with that, and found that there, for once, wasn't a line for the piano at the other end of the room. A piano wasn't too hard to play, either. Gilbert shrugged and walked over. This was one of the few instruments that didn't have another student teaching you through it.

He sat down at the bench carefully and looked over the keys, realizing he had no idea where to start. He pressed down one of the keys and inwardly smirked at the fact that he could finally make an instrument produce noise. Perfect. Awesome. It actually sounded kind of nice, too. Gilbert couldn't stop the small smile that showed up on his face as he pressed another key, this one making an entirely different noise. It was…pretty, almost.

He played around a little bit with various keys and he figured out that a few of them sounded similar, just…slightly different. Gilbert didn't know anything about music, if he was going to be honest. But he just felt…something while he was playing just a few notes. He couldn't explain it, but it was fun. He almost felt like a little kid again, just doing something out of curiosity and to explore.

And then he was all but torn out of it when some girl cleared her throat and Gilbert glanced up at her. She held sheet music and it was obvious she was one of those kids that had been learning piano since they were a toddler. Gilbert held his hands up in surrender at her and stood up, stepping away. She proudly produced her music, as if intent on showing how it was done. Her hands moved across the keys with practiced grace and the sound she made was beautiful, if not extremely practiced and…forced. There weren't any emotions behind it.

Gilbert simply rolled his eyes and walked away, hands in his pockets. Well, that was at least something that attracted his attention. Nothing else, though, really, did the same thing. He tried everything, even the damn oboe. He sucked at everything. But he signed himself up anyway, he had to waste some time, and do what his parents wanted, he guessed. He couldn't be as perfect as his brother, so he had to be stuck with the clarinet, of all fucking things. Whatever.

And so Gilbert spent the rest of his day, as the instrument testing went on during lunch, being made fun of by his friends and not paying attention to classes. He actually found his fingers tapping on the table. With each time his finger made contact, he thought of one of the notes that came from the piano. He wondered if he could play like that girl did, he was sure it was possible…

* * *

Matthew groaned, rubbing his forehead as he walked through the school late at night. He just wanted to get home and go to bed. But, no. First, he had to wait for an hour after school to get his questions answered by his math teacher, who had a meeting every other part of the day Matthew could have seen him. And then Alfred demanded that Matthew wait through football practice for him (because Alfred got his license taken away from him during the summer for going to a stupid party and didn't want to walk home). After they had gotten home, Alfred realized he'd forgotten his English homework in his locker and Matthew, being the nice person that he was, decided to go back for him, since he didn't have much homework of his own. So now there he was, in the school while the sun was setting, his hands on Alfred's stupid binder.

He closed Alfred's locker quietly, ready to go back to the front doors and apologize to the security guards once again for coming back so late, but he heard something that stopped him. Alfred's locker was close to the music hall, where band and choir had their many practice rooms. Matthew could clearly hear the sounds of a piano coming through. It didn't sound bad. It was simple, but it sounded very beautiful. Matthew found his curiosity getting the better of him and he followed the sound. It wasn't like the normal piano he would hear at choir concerts whenever he went.

The music almost seemed to chime, especially as he got closer, and he could feel the curiosity sparking from it. It was almost…child-like. Matthew couldn't hide the smile on his face as he followed the sound, approaching an open door that spilled out light as well as music. It was such a light, happy tune… Matthew had never tried playing music before, but he did enjoy it quite a lot.

He stepped into the room and was genuinely surprised with what he saw. The white hair was definitely recognizable, it was one of the more popular guys in school; Gilbert Beilschmidt. He was sitting at the piano and Matthew couldn't see his face, but he could almost feel the happy tone in the air that came from the music. His fingers skidded across the keys, seeming to play whatever he seemed would fit next. It wasn't any song that Matthew recognized, but he still enjoyed listening to it.

Matthew eventually turned to leave, but it seemed Gilbert had seen him out of the corner of his eye and stopped playing. They made eye contact for a short second and Matthew felt a small blush rise to his face. After all, he did just awkwardly sit and watch Gilbert play piano for a few minutes there.

"I-I didn't kn-know you…uh…you played," Matthew stuttered out, hoping to find a way out of the awkward silence that ensued.

"I don't," Gilbert shrugged with a small laugh, never one to feel awkward. "Well…I guess I _didn't_. I got a little interested today, I guess."

That reminded Matthew of the various rumors he'd heard around school about Gilbert joining band, though he didn't really believe them. Did he get an interest in piano because of what happened?

"You play?" Gilbert asked casually, nodding to the piano.

"No," Matthew shook his head.

"Well, I didn't before today, wanna test it out?" Gilbert asked, moving over on the bench with a shrug.

"I…I really don't," Matthew shook his head. "I should get back home, I only came to pick up my brother's stuff."

"Aw, come on, you never know," Gilbert shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt to try, just a few minutes, right?"

"I'm sure I won't be very good," Matthew shook his head, but walked forward anyway. He set down Alfred's binder on one of the tables and sat down on the bench to the right of Gilbert. "I don't know what to do…" Matthew admitted. This was, admittedly, very weird. He had never met Gilbert in person, after all he was a Sophomore while Gilbert was Junior. They had no reason to see each other. Now that he was seeing him in person, he definitely lived up to all of the rumors he'd heard from the girls. But it was surprising to see an actual albino in person. He also had this air about him that definitely made it seem that he was just as cocky as all of the guys said he was.

"Just kinda play," Gilbert shrugged. "That's what I did, at least. It kinda worked."

"Not everyone can be a prodigy," Matthew muttered, rolling his eyes. Still, he rested his hand on the keys. He didn't know much about music, or anything about playing it, really. Gilbert looked at him expectantly. Matthew delicately pressed down a random key, a small, musical tone ringing out. He smiled slightly at the sound and pressed another key. It was soft and calm.

"I've figured out it's just a bunch of the same seven notes," Gilbert offered. "It's helped me a little bit."

"And how long have you been in this room figuring this out?" Matthew raised a curious eyebrow. He played through a few notes at once, going up the keyboard. He could clearly hear when notes repeated, just with a higher sound. Matthew bit his lip lightly as he tentatively came up with a short, little melody that he repeated a few times before switching it up a little bit.

"Wait, hold on, keep doing that," Gilbert muttered, moving his hands onto the piano carefully. It sounded a little messed up at first, but eventually, he matched Matthew's pace with his notes and it actually sounded quite nice. Gilbert let out a child-like laugh, picking up the pace slightly. Matthew easily kept up with him. The music that filled the air was so light and happy. The room seemed to shine with the sound of their notes, the sound of their emotions. It was so light and happy, showcasing their joy, their light-heartedness…and, as Matthew played a few minor notes…he noticed their loneliness.

Gilbert seemed to notice at the same time, looking over at him. Matthew matched his look, equally confused, but he still managed to play the same notes, even going a little faster. He couldn't believe it. Gilbert, one of the most popular guys in school…was lonely? Surely, he must be wrong in that assumption.

"You feel the same way, too, huh?" Gilbert smirked before turning back to the piano, turning up the pace and introducing his other hand as well. He seemed to get the hang of it a lot faster than last time and his sound nearly over-powered Matthew's. Matthew turned back to the keyboard as well and did the same thing. He sounded more like a jumble of sounds at first, but eventually, a beautiful melody he just…came up with started playing. Despite how loud Gilbert was, Matthew was able to keep up, able to be heard over him. That was new for him.

The emotions became more powerful and there was no possible way for Matthew to hide the smile on his face. His pinky occasionally brushed past Gilbert's and something like a spark seemed to pass between them every time the contact was made. Gilbert even let out a small laugh. What they came up with after just a few seconds, what they were still coming up with…actually sounded pretty good. It was nothing compared to what Matthew had heard from professionals before, but it was…beautiful, in its own way. The emotions that flowed through his fingertips and out of the piano were stunning.

"If you're not here for a reason, you've gotta leave."

The music came to an abrupt halt as the sound of a security guard pierced the air. Matthew winced and a blush immediately rose onto his face. What was he doing? Playing piano for the first time with some boy he'd only just met? Oh, God…

"Sorry," Matthew muttered and immediately stood up, leaving Gilbert startlingly alone at the keyboard. Matthew swiftly scooped up Alfred's binder and rushed out of the room.

"Hey, wait!" Gilbert called after him and Matthew nearly stopped in the middle of the dark hallway. A janitor passed in front of him, humming a tune on his radio as he passed. "Damn, you're quick," Gilbert laughed, catching up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, making Matthew pick up his pace once again as they continued to walk. Why was Gilbert talking to him? This was just some crazy circumstance and that was it…Matthew bet they didn't even sound as good as he thought they did.

"Yeah," Matthew mumbled. The best thing he could come up with in that moment.

"We sounded pretty awesome, huh?" Gilbert smirked at him, his hand oddly not leaving Matthew's shoulder. Matthew noticed that Gilbert had his backpack slung over his shoulder, so he hadn't left school yet that day…Did he come just to play the piano? "You've never played piano before?"

"No," Matthew shook his head honestly.

"Me neither," Gilbert laughed slightly. "You know, if I believed in fate, that sure as hell would've been it, don't you think?"

"Wh-what?" Matthew stuttered, looking at the startling red eyes directly in front of him, glinting almost dangerously in the low light.

"Come on! Don't tell me you didn't _hear_ any of that, let alone felt it," Gilbert nearly shouted, drawing even more attention to them. Matthew blushed all the more. "I sure as hell did. Neither of us have played piano before, but we sounded like…like _that_? No way is that coincidence. Come on! I heard some stuck up chick playing earlier today and she didn't sound nearly anything like that."

"B-Beginner's luck," Matthew muttered.

"No one picks up a fucking instrument that quickly just by beginner's luck," Gilbert said. "I would know, I did my fair share of trying to play instruments earlier today. That was something entirely different. It's like…like we're fucking meant to play. Maybe even together."

"T-T-Together?" Matthew sputtered just as they reached the front doors to the school. Gilbert glanced at him and put on a devilish smirk, leaning towards him slightly.

"That make you nervous, kid?" Gilbert smirked, but then straightened up and blinked, almost in surprise. "Hey, I just realized, I don't even know your name. Shit, we just did something like that and I didn't even fucking ask your name? What's wrong with me?"

"M-Matthew," Matthew muttered. "I-I should probably…uh…head home now," Matthew reached for the handle of the door and Gilbert put his hand on top of his. That same spark seemed to shoot through them, making Matthew shiver.

"Think about it, alright?" Gilbert asked seriously. "Shit like that doesn't happen for no reason, right?"

"Maybe," Matthew bit his lip and opened the door.

"See ya around, Matthew!" Gilbert called after him as Matthew walked into the cool air, his cheeks feeling like they were positively on fire as he rushed to his car.

* * *

Gilbert decided he loved the stage a while ago. The first time he walked proudly across the floor, his steps clicking loudly, the audience quiet in anticipation, waiting for his awesomeness to start at any moment. The moment he could hear everyone lean forward as his fingers barely traced across the keys. The startled silence once he started playing, and the awe around him as he poured out all of his emotions for the world to see. He was even told that his own brother teared up upon hearing him play the first time. And nothing could beat the quiet when he started playing, the tensed quiet as people registered just what had happened. And the applause that occurred as he stood up couldn't be beat. As Gilbert stood up, staring into the stage lights, unable to see a single person in the crowd, panting from just how much effort he had put into that piano, all eyes were on him.

Matthew, on the other hand, didn't seem to enjoy it. Currently, he was curled up into fetal position, leaning against a wall just a few feet from backstage. He was visibly shaking, despite the fact that he'd done this so many times before.

"Hey," Gilbert said, kneeling in front of Matthew, holding a can of Coke carefully in his hand. Matthew looked up at him with those bright, indigo eyes, tearing up and wide with fear. "It's gonna be okay," Gilbert assured him, cracking open the can and handing it over to Matthew, whose trembling hand took hold of it.

"What if I mess up?" Matthew asked, his voice even quieter than usual, but Gilbert never had a hard time hearing him.

"You haven't yet," Gilbert pressed. "And I swear to God, I'm not going to mess up either."

Gilbert would have lied if he said he wasn't nervous. He definitely was. He always was. Every time he walked on that stage, his stomach was just a huge bundle of nerves. Until he hit that first key, then nothing in the world could possibly matter more than the music he was showing the world. And this was the first time he entered a competition meant for duos. It was a little intimidating, sure, but he had his Matthew with him. That was all he needed to stay calm. Matthew carefully took a sip of the Coke.

"Can you believe it's already been a year?" Gilbert smirked, sitting down right in front of Matthew. Conversation would usually help calm him down.

"Year and a half," Matthew muttered, biting his lip.

Right. A year and a half since the first time they played the piano together. That one night alone at the school. They'd picked up teachers, both of which were startled at how fast they learned to play and just how well they could. But nothing could match when they played together. Gilbert honestly couldn't think of anything else he'd want to do with his life other than play piano forever beside Matthew. His Matthew.

"And we're gonna kick all of these guys asses," Gilbert said proudly. "And they've all been playing for years. Can't wait to see their faces."

"I've never done a duet competition before," Matthew mumbled. "What if I…what if I mess up?"

"You won't," Gilbert pressed. "Besides, even if you do, both of us are awesome enough to go around it. Just act like nothing happened. Do you even think half of the losers here have even heard this music before?"

"Duet number 7, you're up next, please wait in the wings," a guy with a clipboard said, walking around. He didn't know what any of them looked like, he was just hoping to get the right person's attention.

"That's us," Gilbert smiled and Matthew looked about ready to run, but Gilbert placed a reassuring hand on his knee. "We're gonna be awesome. Stop the whole show. Come on." He stood up and held out his hand. Matthew took a deep sigh and stood up with him, leaving the forgotten can behind.

"I swear, if you make a fool out of yourself on stage again, I will rip out your fingers," Matthew threatened and Gilbert just laughed, dragging him up to the doors that lead to the stage. The sound of a piano flooded into his ears and the smile refused to fade from his face. He could hear the stifled emotion coming from the stiff players on stage as they finished up their piece. He couldn't wait to get himself up on that stage and show them just what real playing was.

Finally, they ended, and there was some applause, but definitely not what Gilbert was used to hearing. The stage crew nodded to them and Gilbert walked out proudly, Matthew feebly following behind him. They looked like an odd duo, sure enough, but that didn't matter. They didn't even need sheet music for this piece, they'd both long since memorized it. Gilbert's fingers subconsciously played part of the song against his leg.

They sat at the piano together, Gilbert on the left and Matthew on the right, like they'd always played together. They both took a deep breath in unison. Yeah, those butterflies were going crazy in his stomach, but they were just about to shut up. They placed their fingers on the keyboard right where they were supposed to be.

Gilbert pressed down first.

It wasn't fast-paced at first, but Gilbert liked the end, where the pace was so fast he couldn't even follow his own fingers. Immediately, all of the kids in the audience shut up, and there was quiet all around them. The void filled with the sound of their playing, with the sound of their emotions. The light, happy skips that barely held back the loneliness, the sorrow they'd both experienced, especially after Gilbert had said he was going away for college, back to Europe. It seemed like not a single key was left untouched by what was pouring out of their hearts. Their pinkies collided on occasions and Gilbert never missed the jolt of electricity that flowed between them. That fired whenever they hit the same notes on the piano.

Not a single note was missed between them as each note flowed into the next. Not once did any thought other than the song and Matthew go into Gilbert's brain. He wasn't even aware of the crowd anymore. The song seemed to almost swirl around them as Gilbert was absorbed. The joy, the sorrow, the loneliness…the complete and undeniable love. All of it poured out of him like he couldn't stop it.

And then the song ended. Just like that. They slowed their pace. Gilbert played his last notes, and Matthew stopped beside him. Both of them were panting out of exhaustion. Gilberts arms felt like Jell-O, but none of that mattered. Matthew looked at him with an excitement that could be rivaled by no one, his smile brimming with so much joy, it took all of Gilbert's self-control to not kiss him right there.

And they stood up together. They faced the audience together, Gilbert holding onto Matthew's hand tightly. As soon as they began to bow, the audience erupted with applause. Gilbert smirked as they stood back up, watching as so many people around them stood up, the rest of the auditorium following after them. This was a sight Gilbert was used to, but having Matthew rest right there beside him? That was something he wouldn't miss for the world.

Before the audience was even done, Gilbert couldn't stop himself, he pulled Matthew off the stage, past the backstage people that applauded them, past the two people about to go that stared at them in awe, and into the hallway. And Gilbert wasted no time pulling Matthew into a kiss, his hands firmly at the back of his head. Matthew eagerly kissed him back, knowing just what to expect after something like that. He seemed to understand every single one of Gilbert's moves by now.

They didn't care about the people around them, or the music about to be played behind them. All that mattered was the music they had in their heads, the countless songs they had played together, all starting with that first song in the school at night. The coincidence that changed both of their lives.

As they separated, Matthew stared up at him with those bright, indigo eyes. And Gilbert smiled softly back at him. He was perfect, everything he could ever dream for. Gilbert casually tucked one of Matthew's stray hairs behind his ear.

"You were right," Matthew smiled at him, still panting. "I didn't mess up."

"Told ya," Gilbert smirked. "Still don't believe in fate?"

"Shut up," Matthew rolled his eyes, lightly pushing him away.

But Gilbert knew. Both of them started believing in fate a long time ago.

* * *

**So, happy April Fool's Day to all of y'all. I decided to be a cool person and not prank anyone today with my writing and also I decided not to do anything about pranks. Rather…I'm doing something inspired by an anime I just recently watched called "Your Lie In April", don't ask me the Japanese name for it, I can never remember it. But for any of you that haven't seen it, it's beautiful and definitely well worth watching. The writing is just fantastic, the animation is perfect and beautiful, and it's about wonderful music, AKA why you got a fanfic about music inspired by such a show. Anyway, it's about April, sort of. So there's somewhat a tie here.**

**Anyway, this was something I just came up with on a whim and I loved the idea so much. I used to play piano, I wasn't very good, but I know enough to write a thing on it. Turns out, Gilbert's parents making him join band was a pretty good, idea, huh? I think it's cute and romantic and fills me up with enough fluff to be able to continue writing my current, dark and depressing story.**

**Anywho, I've talked too much, so I'm gonna wrap this up. I do not, nor will I ever, own Hetalia in any of its many forms.**

**Please review! It's very nice!**


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